By Callum Ludwig
The Warburton CFA is stepping up to support those suffering from depression, PTSD and suicidal thoughts in the 9th Annual Melbourne Firefighter Stair Climb.
At the time of writing, the Warburton brigade has currently raised the second-most of any CFA to the cause with a total of $1495.
Second Lieutenant at the Warburton CFA Thomas Wilson said the Warburton fire brigade has been involved with the initiative since 2015.
“Originally it was me and Chris Stanes and as the years have gone on, we’ve been fluctuating up and down with how many members are interested, but this year it’s been really fantastic because we’ve got the most members we’ve ever had to decide to join in,” he said.
“We’ve had six members who have stopped up to the challenge and it’s been really good being in the top two brigades for donations, it’s a great feeling to know that people are getting behind this effort and recognising that PTSD and depression are serious afflictions that cause a lot of pain and suffering for different people.”
The event is on Saturday 10 September 2022 and 600 Firefighters and other Emergency Service Personnel are set to climb the 28 floors of Crown Metropol Hotel wearing 25kgs of turnout gear and breathing apparatus.
Mr Wilson said there is doubt the climb is definitely a challenge.
“The majority of us are doing it actually on air, we’ve got an air cylinder on our back and we’re breathing all the air that we intake through that cylinder itself, so you’re going as fast as you possibly can, breathing dry air out of the cylinder, trying to get up the stairs, wearing all this equipment on your back,” he said.
“This is a shorter stair climb than most but it ends up being a sprint, the fastest guys that are very athletic are doing it in under four minutes, it can be a pretty daunting thing. This particular climb is a right-hand turn up a stairwell which you can see down as well, which makes you quite dizzy.”
Warburton CFA has raised $9741 for the cause since beginning in 2015, with Rogelio (Roy) Rojas, Ron McIntosh, Sarah Wilcox, Kody Ireland, Richard Ireland, Thomas Wilson and Ray Lynch (Virtual Participant) set to take on the challenge this year.
As 3139 Australians lose their lives to suicide each year, virtual supporters are asked to climb at least 3139 steps in a month, commencing on 10 August 2022 and concluding on Saturday 10 September 2022.
Mr Wilson said there is plenty of excitement about this year’s event, and its great the community is getting behind addressing a real issue.
“Obviously the recent lockdowns amplified mental health issues with people not being able to socialise, even though it was necessary. It’s just really important that we’re supporting and have funds towards these frontline services like Lifeline, Fortem Australia and the Triple 0 Foundation,” he said.
“People are really wanting to get behind these causes and I just think the brigade representation and the number of donations are really brilliant.”
Seville CFA is also flying the flag for the Upper Yarra, having raised $1025 themselves.
